Nottingham Forest

Forest boss frustrated with point
Nottingham Forest boss Colin Calderwood was disappointed that his side only managed a 1-1 draw against Rotherham. "We have missed a chance of getting nearer the top two by not doing better over the Easter holiday," he said. "We looked at the two games and were hoping to pick up four points. To end up with just one is very disappointing. "It's frustrating because although you have to give Rotherham credit for trying to win the game, we have to be looking at winning matches like this."

Forest wait on Tyson injury news
Nottingham Forest striker Nathan Tyson faces an anxious wait to see the extent of his latest knee injury. Tyson, who needed surgery after sustaining knee ligament damage earlier this season, picked up the injury in the 1-1 draw with Rotherham on 9 April. Forest boss Colin Calderwood told the club website: "We'll have to give the knee a couple of days to settle down before we can really asses the damage. "It is far too early to say how long Nathan might be out of action." Calderwood added: "But it is not looking good for the weekend."

Calderwood philosophical at draw
Nottingham Forest boss Colin Calderwood was not surprised after they drew 0-0 with Crewe - while Bristol City won to secure the second promotion place. Calderwood said: "The reality at the start of the day was that the play-offs would probably be the outcome for us. "We knew City were 2-0 up at half-time, and although we kept striving for a goal, it was asking an awful lot of Rotherham to come back. "We've now got two games to get ourselves into a final at Wembley."

Wright extends Forest loan deal
Defender Alan Wright has extended his loan spell wth Nottingham Forest and will be available for the League One play-off semi-final against Yeovil. Wright, 35, has played in Forest's last nine games but his initial loan from Sheffield United ran out on Saturday. Boss Colin Calderwood said: "We're grateful to Sheffield United as they could have recalled him, it's great news he's here for the play-offs." Striker Spencer Weir-Daley has returned to Forest after a loan at Bradford.

Calderwood looks to next season
Nottingham Forest boss Colin Calderwood is already looking forward to next season after his side's play-off defeat by Yeovil Town. Forest lost their semi-final 5-4 on aggregate and Calderwood said: "I am devastated - we are lower than anyone could imagine. "But we will get over it and start again for next time. There is a lot of work to be done now over the summer. "We must look forward but at the same time learn from what has happened."

Nine players released by Forest
Jack Lester and John Curtis are two of nine players Nottingham Forest boss Colin Calderwood has opted to release. Lester and Curtis as well as Gary Holt, Rune Pedersen, John Thompson, Nicky Eaden, Kevin James, Robert Hughes and Vincent Fernandez will exit on 30 June. Striker Lester made 189 appearances for Forest in two spells with the club, while Curtis, formerly of Manchester United, played 90 games for the club. Holt made 76 appearances after his arrival from Norwich in 2005. Thompson, Eaden and James rarely featured in the first team this season - spending much of it on loan at Tranmere, Lincoln and Swindon respectively. Hughes and Fernandez only made a handful of appearances between them, while keeper Pedersen could only manage 22 games during his two seasons. Calderwood's decision to release those nine players follows Forest's defeat to Yeovil in the League One play-off semi-final last week. But Calderwood has offered new deals to Kris Commons, Spencer Weir-Daley, Alan Power and goalkeeper Dale Roberts.

Forest eye Lennon as player/coach
Nottingham Forest are the favourites to sign former Celtic captain Neil Lennon, SSB understands. The League One side, who are managed by former Scotland international Colin Calderwood, are believed to want Lennon as their player/coach. Lennon finished his seven-year Celtic career last weekend by lifting the Scottish Cup at Hampden. But the 35-year-old former Northern Ireland international is expected to continue playing, his agent has said. Neil's priority at the moment is to continue playing and I believe he has a lot still to offer in that capacity," revealed player's agent Martin Reilly. Lennon enjoyed a colourful career in Scotland since Martin O'Neill signed him from Leicester City in December 2000 for £5.75m. During his six-and-half years at the club the Northern Irishman won five Scottish Premier League titles, four Scottish Cups and two CIS Cups.

PNE deny interest in Forest pair
Preston North End chairman Derek Shaw has played down reports they are interested in signing Nottingham Forest pair Kris Commons and Grant Holt. Commons, 23, is out of contract this summer and Holt, 26, had a transfer request rejected by Forest last week. They have both been linked with Preston but Shaw told their website: "As far as I know that is just paper talk, there is nothing in that story at all. "All this rumour and speculation only leads to frustration among the fans." Shaw has also poured cold water on reports that Preston rejected a £500,000 bid from Fulham for keeper Carlo Nash in the January transfer window. He added: "Fulham never made that bid, they came in with £150,000 up front and then another £150,000 over a very long period of games. "This club has never rejected a bid of £500,000 for Carlo Nash and it is important that the fans and everybody else knows that."

Forest win race to capture Lennon
Nottingham Forest have beaten a host of clubs to the signing of former Celtic captain Neil Lennon on a free transfer. The 35-year-old, who left the Bhoys last month after six-and-a-half years in Glasgow, becomes Forest boss Colin Calderwood's first signing this summer. The midfielder broke off from a holiday in Portugal to put pen-to-paper on a one-year contract with an option of a further year at the City Ground. Lennon, however, will not be joining in a coaching capacity as first thought. His former club Leicester were thought to be among several Championship clubs keen on signing him, with Sunderland also linked. But the former Northern Ireland international has opted to join Forest, who narrowly missed out on promotion to the Championship last season, losing to Yeovil 5-4 on aggregate in the play-off semi-final. Last month, Lennon's agent Martin Reilly revealed the midfielder was keen to continue playing. "Neil's priority at the moment is to continue playing and I believe he has a lot still to offer in that capacity," he said. Lennon enjoyed a colourful career in Scotland since Martin O'Neill signed him from Leicester City in December 2000 for £5.75m. During his time at the club, the Northern Irishman won five Scottish Premier League titles, four Scottish Cups and two CIS Cups.

Holt peace pact with Forest boss
Nottingham Forest striker Grant Holt has struck an uneasy truce with boss Colin Calderwood. Holt, last season's top scorer with 17 goals, handed in a transfer request after Forest rejected his request to reward his efforts with a pay rise. The 26-year-old told the Evening Post: "I've had a chat with the manager, I'm happy to stay as long as he wants me." Calderwood, who is yet to offer Holt a new deal, said: "He's not a player we want to see leave."

Forest's McGugan to have ankle op
Nottingham Forest midfielder Lewis McGugan will have an exploratory operation on his ankle. McGugan missed Saturday's 0-0 draw with Bournemouth and is set to be out of action for a minimum of a month. Manager Colin Calderwood told SSB: "We are hopeful that once he has the surgery he will not be on the sidelines for too long." McGugan, 18, came through Forest's academy and made his first-team debut in October 2006 against Gillingham.

Forest finalise Irish junior link
Nottingham Forest have formed a partnership with top Republic of Ireland junior side Crumlin United. The clubs have a two-year agreement which will benefit both parties. Forest will get the first option on any player from the Dublin-based outfit and Crumlin will get kit supplies and coaching help from the City Ground. Crumlin's Irish National Cup winning Under-14 team will train this week with Forest's academy under the guidance of academy director Nick Marshall.

Calderwood furious after cup exit
Nottingham Forest manager Colin Calderwood described their exit from the Johnstone's Paint Trophy as a "resounding punch in the nose." Forest are without a win after six games of the season, having crashed out 3-2 at home to Peterborough. Calderwood fumed: "We should have a chance of beating Peterborough, and we got in a winning position twice. "It seems hard to win any game at the moment, but we can't take any help from anyone - no-one will give us anything."

Cohen hits Forest comeback trail
Nottingham Forest midfielder Chris Cohen has stepped up his comeback after long-term injury by playing in a behind-closed-doors friendly. Cohen, 20, played for 75 minutes against York on Wednesday and helped himself to a goal in a 3-2 Forest win. Cohen is yet to make a first-team appearance for Forest after joining the Reds from Yeovil in a joint-deal worth over £1m with winger Arron Davies. Cohen had groin surgery in May and suffered a setback during pre-season. Davies has yet to play for Forest this season either after suffering an ankle injury in pre-season. Forest are yet to win this term and were dumped out of the Johnstone's Paint Trophy by League Two Peterborough at the City Ground on Tuesday.

Calderwood keeping feet grounded
Nottingham Forest boss Colin Calderwood was delighted with his side's 2-0 victory over Crewe but insists this is no time to be getting carried away. "Anyone who saw the way we played would say we've got a chance of getting promotion," said Calderwood. "It was a promotion-like performance but it doesn't count for anything because we're in November and nothing is decided at this stage of the season. "We deserved to win but we need to keep our feet on the ground."

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